Pandemic impacted TCAP results

Testing data now confirms local students were impacted by COVID-19.

Scores from the spring Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program assessments showed pandemic-related disruptions hurt academic proficiency. Results included TNReady assessments in English language arts, social studies, math and science, as well as alternative assessments for students with special needs.

Mike Garren, county director of schools, credits in-person learning and teachers for mitigating severe declines.

“I’m really proud of our teachers and students for how they’ve performed considering the spring closure and then the virtual and in-person teachers trying to facilitate both of those methods of instruction,” Garren said. “Then the number of students that 97% of our students tested, so those are really good, reliable results, and I know that the state saw a substantial drop across the board, and we dropped in most areas from ‘18-’19 to this year like everybody else did.

“But to be as far above the state average as we were really shows that what we did last year was beneficial being in person and how the teachers facilitated all of those processes to still make sure that the kids were learning at a better pace than the state,” he added.

The state put an emphasis on proficiency in third-grade English Language Arts and seventh-grade math, which statewide averaged 32% and 22.9%, respectively. Loudon County surpassed both Tennessee averages with 35.4% and 34.8%, respectively.

“In fourth-grade ELA, we actually performed higher than we did in ‘18-’19,” Garren said. “... We had 44.2% of our kids on track or mastered in fourth-grade ELA. That’s 11.2% higher than the state; the state was at 33. But even two years ago we were at 42.2, so we went up two points there. We’re 11 points above the state this year, two points above where we were two years ago. Eighth-grade social studies we were at 45.9, which is eight points above the state, and then five points above where we were at two years ago.

“One of the most impressive ones ... Algebra 2 we were at 31.1, which the state was at 17.8 that are on track and mastered, so we were at 13.3 points higher than the state,” he added. “We went up from ‘18-’19 3.9 points, so we were at 27.2 in ‘18-’19 and 31.1 this year.”

Garren was especially proud of proficiency in U.S. history, the biggest jump for the school system. He said 46.6% were proficient compared to the state’s 32.2%.

“U.S. history they just flat tore it up,” he said. “... Our U.S. history teachers changed the way they were doing some things and I mean it’s paying off. Even during the pandemic we were trying to improve our instructional strategies in different areas and different focuses and that was one of our focuses and they really shined, so I’m really proud of them.”

He hopes to maintain the momentum.

“This year like last year is unknown and we have to take it day by day with the pandemic, so just every day of instruction that we can get in is going to be beneficial to the kids,” Garren said. “We’ll take it day by day and then we’ll take this data and we’ll see — even though we’re exceeding the state we noticed that we dropped more in math than we did ELA from two years ago. Even though we’re well above the state average, that’s an area that we’ll focus on just because we saw that drop.”

A full list of spring results can be found on the Tennessee Department of Education website.

Lenoir City dips

Lenoir City educators expected a decline in proficiency due to the ongoing pandemic.

“I think the whole pandemic issues, the fear that was garnered about coming to school, that, along with the parents that were trying to help their children the best they could at home,” Jeanne Barker, Lenoir City director of schools, said. “We had a lot of opportunities for students online, but it’s just not the same, and so we are so excited that we have gotten everybody back in class and our students are excited. I was at the high school (Aug. 18) for open house and students are just so excited to be back. I’m very hopeful that we can build on that excitement and engagement for students. Engagement is another area where even though students were learning at home, often they were not engaged online. They weren’t participating, and didn’t know the health status for a lot of students during that time. There were so many things that were going on, and let’s remember that all of this is a reflection of more than just one year.

“All the way back to March 6, 2020, when the state department of education said, ‘We will not have students be required to finish their coursework’,” she added. “Whatever grade they had on March 6 would be their grade, and we had a lot of issues with students even engaging after that. That’s been almost 18 months lost learning. There was no data for the 2020 spring and so what you’re seeing is really a reflection of over 18 months of lost instructional time, which time equals learning.”

Lenoir City averaged 22.1% proficiency in third-grade ELA and 18.3% proficiency in seventh-grade math.

Barker was happy with fourth-grade math, which showed 40.5% proficiency.

“We held our own in high school, too,” Millicent Smith, supervisor of instruction services, said. “Just based on strictly end-of-course assessments we fared pretty well. There are other metrics that we look at the high school that we want to continue to focus on, but in terms of being able to address the EOC, we feel good about that. I think there are lots of other things that we need to be focused on there as well, but we’ve said from the beginning ... all the research is that it’s going to take three to five years to overcome the lost time, and I think the results just kind of undergird that. It’s not a surprise, we knew that was coming.”

Notable proficiency rates include 44.2% in English II, 42.9%% in biology I and 35.2% in geometry.

The district utilized a hybrid schedule, and Smith said she believes students missed having in-person learning.

“We lost that time with our students,” she said. “I don’t like the term ‘learning loss’ because they can’t lose what they didn’t have and I think we may have lost the momentum that we had because we were in a really good place as a school system across the board in 2019, but we were kind of just sort of frozen in our tracks. Because of some of the messaging that came out, because of just problem-solving all the other logistical things, we lost time with kids — focused, direct in-person time with kids, and there’s just no substitute for that. I think that’s a trend in our district, in our state, in our country. Kids wants to be with their teachers and the teachers want the kids in front of them.”

Smith said educators are determined to get students refocused.

“Our strategic plan is a good plan, and we knew we were on the right track in 2019,” she said. “We just hit a little snag ... but we’re on the other side of it hopefully and we’re just going to work the plan and use our additional resources as sort of a shot in the arm to help us.”